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ENGLISH THESAURUS & DICTIONARY

direct

adjective · adverb · verb

Words like direct

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158 words · adjective, adverb, verbSort by

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MEANING & USAGE

Definitions & examples

01adjective

direct in spatial dimensions; proceeding without deviation or interruption; straight and short

“a direct route”

“a direct flight”

02adjective

having no intervening persons, agents, conditions

“in direct sunlight”

“in direct contact with the voters”

03adjective

straightforward in means or manner or behavior or language or action

“a direct question”

“a direct response”

04adjective

in a straight unbroken line of descent from parent to child

“lineal ancestors”

“lineal heirs”

20 more meanings

05adjective

moving from west to east on the celestial sphere; or — for planets — around the sun in the same direction as the Earth

06adjective

similar in nature or effect or relation to another quantity

“a term is in direct proportion to another term if it increases (or decreases) as the other increases (or decreases)”

07adjective

(of a current) flowing in one direction only

“direct current”

08adjective

being an immediate result or consequence

“a direct result of the accident”

09adjective

in precisely the same words used by a writer or speaker

“a direct quotation”

“repeated their dialog verbatim”

10adjective

lacking compromising or mitigating elements

“the direct opposite”

11adverb

without deviation

“the path leads directly to the lake”

“went direct to the office”

12verb

command with authority

“He directed the children to do their homework”

13verb

intend (something) to move towards a certain goal

“He aimed his fists towards his opponent's face”

“criticism directed at her superior”

14verb

guide the actors in (plays and films)

15verb

govern or manage

16verb

take somebody somewhere

“we led him to our chief”

“can you take me to the main entrance?”

17verb

cause to go somewhere

“The explosion sent the car flying in the air”

“She sent her children to camp”

18verb

point or cause to go (blows, weapons, or objects such as photographic equipment) towards

“Please don't aim at your little brother!”

“He trained his gun on the burglar”

19verb

lead, as in the performance of a composition

“conduct an orchestra”

“Barenboim conducted the Chicago symphony for years”

20verb

give directions to; point somebody into a certain direction

“I directed them towards the town hall”

21verb

specifically design a product, event, or activity for a certain public

22verb

direct the course; determine the direction of travelling

23verb

put an address on (an envelope)

24verb

plan and direct (a complex undertaking)

“he masterminded the robbery”

Meanings and examples from Open English WordNet 2025. About our sources ↗

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Expressions with “direct”

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